The Blanc-Mesnil

The Morée and the Serrated roller and the proximity of old a Roman Voie (trunk roads n°2 and n°17) consolidate this assumption.

The Middle Ages

Philippe Ier de France, king de France of 1060 to 1108, equips the abbey Saint-Vincent de Senlis, rested by his mother Anne of Kiev for the rest of king Henri 1st, of the grounds of the Blanc-Mesnil, undoubtedly an agricultural property with grounds and dependences.

As of 1353 pennies the king Jean II, the Notre-Dame vault of the Annunciation (also called Notre-Dame de Blancmesnil) becomes a place of Pèlerinage of the brotherhood of the Goldsmiths of Paris which goes there until to 1678. It depends then on the diocese of Paris. The pilgrimages take place with the Annonciation, the Assomption and the Conception. The legend wants that Jeanne d' Arc came to request in the vault and rested in a firm neighbor. The vault is destroyed in 1823.

At the beginning of the 14th century, the Hameau is located at the place which one names still today the Old country (street Edouard Renault and neighborhood). It has a Manoir seigneurial, some Chaumière S, the Notre-Dame vault and a Water mill. At the time, the hamlet is parochial chief town.

Modern time

At the 15th century, Simon Potter, Provost of the merchants, take the control of the seigniory, in which it makes build a castle. The family Potier of Blancmesnil reigns there until the transfer of the stronghold in 1672 in Rene de Marillac, Maître of the requests to the Council of State, then with Charles Armand Rene of Trémoille.

Guillaume de Lamoignon de Blancmesnil, president of the Parliament of Paris, takes again the load.

The day before the French revolution, the hamlet of the Blanc-Mesnil comprises three farms, a water mill, a bar, the signs of a Marshal-shoeing and a cartwright. It also has the fields of Coudray (Pasteur avenue) and Groslay (avenue Paul Valiant-Dressmaker).

The castle of Blanc-Mesnil is attested in 1680. It takes the appearance of a building of forty-five meters length on ten meters broad making return to right angle forwards at the two ends. Property of the family Lamoignon, the castle is renovated in 1752, but without modification of its plan. It is then a residence of pleasure, surrounded by large French gardens and a vast park. The gardens are surrounded by walls and are bordered by a broad basin, supplied with one of the arms of the Morée.

As a whole, the castle is low, but firmly built and supported of four covered houses of Ardoise S. There is a stage and the building is surmounted by a pinnacle. The castle occupies all the width of an eighty five meters long and girded platform broad ditches of a score of meters.

Two houses occupy the north-western and south-western angles of the platform. The platform east precedes in the west by a sixty meters length forecourt on fifty meters broad which one reaches by an entry in half-moon.

The castle is yielded to Nicolas Dedelay known as of Delley, lord of the Guard and Blancmesnil, Farmer general and Secrétaire of the king.

With the Revolution, the castle is given up by the count Pierre Louis Charles Delley of the Guard, and is destroyed about 1800. The Pilastre S of the entry went back to the entry of the Jacques-Duclos park.

Under the Revolution

Pursuant to the law of December 22nd, 1789, the hamlet belongs to the Seine-et-Oise, one of the eighty three departments created on March 4th, 1790 starting from part of the province of Île-de-France. Versailles is the chief town of the department, the Blanc-Mesnil, him, depends then on the district of Gonesse.

December 9th, 1792, in Year I of the Republic, of new municipalities are elected. It is a complete renewal of the municipal councils and for the first time an election with the Vote for all. Joseph Mirgon, gardener with the castle, become the first mayor of the Blanc-Mesnil.

Contemporary time

At the beginning of the 19th century, the village still does not have of a church and a cemetery, and remains narrowly dependant on its neighbor Aulnay.

June 29th, 1815, the Prussian army takes the Blanc-Mesnil, before gaining Saint-Denis and Paris.

In May 1816, Louis XVIII orders that the noble ones return in possession of their goods and that they replace the mayors. The marquis of Gourgues, mayor of Aulnay, becomes thus mayor of the Blanc-Mesnil.

Meanwhile, Alexandre GUI-Pierre de Lavau, heir to Delley of the Guard, are made build a house of hunting. One of the rooms acts as town hall. The school is exempted in a barn, a sheep-fold shelters a vault. The agricultural work punctuates the hours of the country life of the village white-mesnilois.

The battles of Le Bourget in 1870 causes large damage, causing the escape of the inhabitants towards Paris. December 25th, 1870, the general Ducrot takes again the farm of Groslay.

In 1858, the construction of the railway line Paris - Soissons, as well as the creation of the industrial park of the Serrated roller, contributes to the development of the commune. The first station, it, opens only in 1912. In the field of the habitat, all starts in 1896, when the Compagnie of the railroads of North makes build, on a strip of land being next to the railway, ten houses with vegetable gardens which it sells with credit with railwaymen.

However, the great boom of the Lotissement takes again only after the First World War with the massive arrival of working populations at the “new village” close to the station. It also profits from the proximity of the Aéroport of Le Bourget, which experiences an important development during the Années 1930. Companies of Metallurgy, boiler making and heat insulation, as well as a subsidiary company of the group Maggi, are established there. Between 1901 and 1926, the population of the Blanc-Mesnil increases by 4 999%.

During the Second world war, the air Bombardement S leave deep after-effects in a commune almost with destroyed half. Two imperative reasons with that: vicinity of the Airport of Le Bourget and railway installations strategic.

The Blanc-Mesnil is released on August 27th, 1944.

The industrial inheritance

Installed since 1930 by the Industrial society of the food specialities, the subsidiary company Maggi, known under the name of “Kub Bubble” settles with 192 avenue Charles Floquet and is directed by Eugene Fischer. Before the Second world war, it employs a hundred employees.

Located between the marshalling yard and the airfield of Le Bourget and provided with a enemy battery DCA installed on the roof, it becomes the target of the English bombardments.

With the Release, and following the fusion of Nestlé and Maggi, it becomes a factory for the famous small pots for baby. The factory then employs 250 worker. In 1969, Nestlé amalgamating with Findus, the factory of the Blanc-Mesnil manufactures crepes then and conditions fish. In 1972, the activities of the company cease.

The Thirty Glorious ones

In the post-war period, the commune continues its urbanization. Vis-a-vis an enormous need for residences, as well at the communal level as on the scale of the worldwide, the common one makes push with the ground haste of the multifamily apartments. Between 1957 and 1974, pas less thirty-and-a quoted will leave ground.

Until the law of July 10th, 1964, the common one belongs to the department of the Seine-et-Oise. The recutting of the old departments of the the Seine and the Seine-et-Oise makes that the commune belongs to the Seine-Saint-Denis after an administrative transfer effective in January 1968.

In north, it develops its zone of activity, in which companies, such as Canon, Panasonic, Warner Music, RANK XEROX, Cégédur (subsidiary company of the group Pechiney), Benenuts and Maison of the Coffee, settle: they since left the site. In parallel, the park Jacques-Duclos, true green lung of the city, is created in 1976.

Contemporary time

• For the economic activity, the Modus park, the ZAC Gustave Eiffel, the Square of the aviators;

• For education and the habitat, the Mozart college, the Terraces of the Blanc-Mesnil, Heart-of-City, the Villa Charles Floquet;
• For the culture, the cultural Forum, the cinema Louis Daquin, the Edouard Glissant media library and the Two parts cooks.

Like many communes of the Paris and its suburbs and that of the big cities of province, the riots of November 2005 affect in particular the districts north of the city: set fire to private cars, coaches, bus and heavy trucks, warehouses, as well as a gymnasium. The property damages rise with height of five million euros for the public and private goods. In this context, on Friday, November 4, Daniel Feurtet, mayor of the Blanc-Mesnil, Marie-George Buffet, appointed and Herve Bramy, President of the general advice of Seine-Saint-Denis, are received with Matignon.

Rather discrete hitherto, the image of the commune is quoted in the médiasphère Frenchwoman, and even international, in German national daily newspapers (Morgenpost), American (Washington Post) and Chinese (Tapei Times).

Demography

In term of population, the Blanc-Mesnil is the 123e town of France, the 9th town of Seine-Saint-Denis and account among the twenty most populated cities Ile-de-France.

35,4% of the White-Mesnilois have less than 25 years, 48,4% between 25 and 59 years, 16,3% are 60 years old or more.

Habitat

The distribution of the statutes of occupation of the 18.411 households is carried out between 7.550 owners, often of an individual housing in the suburban park, 6.965 tenants of the park HLM.

The major part of the social housing is unequally distributed in the northern zone of the city, and a compartmental way in the south.

The greatest unit is that of the Limes in the north of the city which comprises 2.752 residences quasi exclusively social. With a population of: 12000 inhabitants, this district counts close to the 1/5 of the communal population. A great diversity of nationalities is represented there. The Chômage is extremely high with a rate which reaches 25,7%, and even 37,7% at the 15-25 years. The population is young with more than 40% less than 20 years. This example characterizes well the great whole of the Seine-Saint-Denis. TheGreen ones, the 212 or the Bridge-Yblon constitute with their neighbor of the Limes the districts north of the city. This vast zone H.L.M. is classified among the Free urban zones of the country. A vast program of urban renovation is in hand.

The suburban of east city, it, important zone. It extends on the downtown area and the greener southern part, but 1/5 only of the population there saw, that is to say between 10.000 and 15.000 inhabitants. Sometimes, located near some districts H.L.M. at the center is and western, like city Pasteur or the Z.A.C. Pierre Sémard, and in the south, like the 4 Turns or the city Danielle Casanova, the population can feel at the same time a feeling of abandonment there, of relegation, although extremely attached to the city and its image.

Administration and policy

Administration

The Canton of the Blanc-Mesnil is formed by this only commune. The city is not member of any community of agglomeration. Old commune of the department of Seine-et-Oise, the city became one of the forty communes of the new department of the Seine-Saint-Denis on January 1st, 1968. The city belongs to IVe district of the Seine-Saint-Denis. The deputy of this district is Marie-George Buffet, his substitute is Azzedine Taïbi, general adviser of Stains. It in addition was Minister for the Youth and the Sports of the government of Lionel Jospin.

The Blanc-Mesnil shelters several administrations and public services on its territory: a main post office and two appendices, a center of the taxes, a principal treasury, an national agency for employment (ANPE), a reception ASSEDIC, a center of social security, a point of reception EDF-GDF, a Labor market inter alia. The city also has of a GRETA (51, avenue de Verdun) and a space employment-insertion.

The Blanc-Mesnil belongs to the jurisdiction of authority and great authority, as well as bankruptcy court of Bobigny.

Political life

At the first turn of the legislative elections of 2007, Thierry Meignen (Union for a popular movement) arrived at the head with 34,35% of the voices in front of Marie-George Buffet (French Communist party) with 32,26%, Marie-Pierre Ramos (Socialist party) with 15,55%, and Alain Geoffroy (National front) with 5,38%, no other candidate not exceeding the threshold of 3,5%. With the second turn, Marie-George Buffet is re-elected with 55,95% of the votes cast is: 12324 votes. It beat the candidate UMP (44,05%) with a variation of: 2642 votes.

With the referendum on the constitutional treaty for Europe of May 29th, 2005, the White-Mesnilois voted Non with 67,81% compared with 32,19% of Yes with a rate of abstention from 38,36%.

These figures are in conformity with the departmental tendency (Not to 61,52%; Yes to 38,48%) but about opposite with the results franciliens (Yes 53,99%; Not 46,01%) showing the rather popular character of the city, the negative votes having been mainly the fact of the most modest electorate in France.

With the presidential elections of 2007, the White-Mesnilois preferred Ségolène Royal (55,84%) with Nicolas Sarkozy (44,16%). The abstention amounts to 17,85%.

Today, the city counts, in addition to the mayor, forty-two city council men including twelve associated, proportionally with the number of inhabitants.

The municipal council is composed of nineteen communist, of which Marie-George Buffet, eleven Socialists, three green, six UMP two FN and an independent.

Participative, associative life and citizen

• the Advisory counsel of elder the gathers forty-four reprocessed members and elderly indicated by drawing lot.

• the Local Conseil of the Young people gathers 44 members old boys and girls from 15 to 25 years, elected by young people the White-Mesnilois. Not only, it is a means for the young citizens of dealing with the decisions which relate to them, but also a way of taking an active part in the changes which take place in the city in direction of youth.
• the Local Conseil of Community life is an abstract assembly, made up representatives of various local associations. He wants to be a place of reflection and proposals. The Council can question, imagine, suggest on all the subjects relating to community life and the life of the commune.
• the the Council of city and vicinity constitutes a space of debate to take part in the local life. Today, six councils of city and vicinity function on the whole of the communal territory (South-Small-Bridges-Groslay, Pôle parks, Center-Coudray, Center-Limes, Eiffel, North-Aviation). The meetings are held once per quarter.
• the Local committee of the rights of the child defends the rights of childhood. The committee gathers teachers, directors of center, as well as the parents of pupils or the Popular help. The local committee does not animate directly actions, but fills of the functions of observations and proposals.
• the the Councils of users of the public services
• the the Councils of residents in the old people's homes.

The Maison of the Limes is a pole of public services. With the halt-nursery, this house citizen accommodates physical-activities and sporting, a Dojo and a room of dance, a room of musculation with cloakrooms and medical. Also, a multi-media space.

The House of the Way Notre-Dame .

The House for all Jean Jaurès .

In the commune, an associative network of 281 local associations , among which 11.000 inhabitants members. For the majority, they are related to the field of the sport, the culture, the leisures, education, the war veterans and the humanitarian.

The city obtained the Action price, innovation, accessibility for its initiative in favor of the handicap.

Political sociology

The shortly after the Popular front, the election of the mayor Henri Duquenne marks the starter of the communist turn in the commune. From now on, the Blanc-Mesnil, as other municipalities of the Small Crown form integral part of famous “the red belt”. In the stronghold white-mesnilois, it then constitutes a whole associative network, sporting trade unions, clubs (football, cycling, gymnastics) and gazettes. Moreover, it appears among the three cities with Le Havre and Brest to federate their sports associations in a municipal Office of the sports. As many vectors which contribute to withdraw the young people of the influence of Patronage catholic and middle-class. Around the sociocultural values of the Communism, it organizes a certain sociability and human relations in the team spirit and of caste, of which there remains today still of the traditions and practices of solidarity.

Mayors since the Old Mode

Budget and taxation

The rate of direct taxation is the following:

• Professional tax: 26,42%

• Real estate tax on the built properties: 21,19%
• Real estate tax on the undeveloped properties: 45,90%
• Tax of dwelling: 15,34%

Forthese rates, it is advisable to add the sums taken by other communities, like by the State.

The Blanc-Mesnil is classified 348e on 401 towns of France of more than: 20000 inhabitants with the classification of the cities for the number of taxpayers subjected to the solidarity tax on fortune (STF).

Civil security

The Blanc-Mesnil gathers an help center of the firemen and a police station.

The rate of criminality of the district of police force of the Blanc-Mesnil which does not include that the only commune is of 89,16 per 1.000 inhabitants, which is higher than the national average (83/1 000), but lower at the average level of the department of the Seine-Saint-Denis of 95,67/1 000. The rate of resolution of the businesses by the police services is as for him of 22,43%.

Economy

Economic pole

The commune includes/understands an important economic pole. It counts indeed: 1540 companies including 358 trade (hotels, restaurants, food, clothing), localized essentially in the downtown area, a strong number of SME and TPE and head offices.

The local economy was more tertiarisée during the last years. The industrial sector gathers today in particular companies of the metallurgy and transformation of metals, printing works - paper - paperboard, manufacture of machines. The linked activities with recycling, health and the services with the companies develop.

The economic pole presents a varied real offer:

• the park of activity of Coudray of 39 hectares was created in 1968 with for vocation accommodating mainly activity and head offices (Miele, Techmohygiène, Sicli) but also of logistics and storage (Calberson, Ziegler). It comprises 96 companies and generates 1.765 employment;

• the industrial Park of the Serrated roller extends on the communes from the Blanc-Mesnil, the Le Bourget and Drancy. On the whole, it covers 86 hectares including 56 hectares on the commune of Blanc-Mesnil. The park of activity of the Serrated roller was created in 1925, with for vocation accommodating mainly heavy industry. Today, taking into account the size of the buildings, industry left place in majority with logistics and storage and partly with offices activity. It accommodates 114 companies and offers 1.400 employment.

• the Park Modus of an entire surface of 4.774 m ². Since October 2007, it is organized there breakfasts discusses;
• Garonor , logistic park created in 1970, covers 14 hectares of immense warehouses, partly located on the commune of Aulnay-sous-Bois, and used for storage and storage;
• the Bridge-Yblon , a logistic platform and of transport of twelve hectares created in 1971. The fifteen companies installed generate 149 employment.
• the international District business Northern Paris II builds in 1973, in which lines of business and of wholesale concentrate on 4 hectares. National Instruments appears there.
• the Square of the Aviators , park of activity and storage of an entire surface of 30.000 square meters, divisible on the surface of 400 square meters.
• the Space Descartes , a hotel complex of three hectares. To note, three-star hotels of which a Novotel hotel for tourism of businesses.

In addition, a free urban zone located at the north of the commune present of the tax incentives and social for the companies, liberal professions, trade and craftsmen, who wish to be established to with it.

French and foreign companies

Among the principal French companies, one can quote the five first in term of turnover.

Far in front of at the head, DHL with 18,2 billion d'€, Liquid air with 9,3 billion d'€. Then far behind, Forclum (subsidiary of the group Eiffage) with 2 billion d'€, Sicli with 210 M d'€, Paprec with 200 M d'€.

Subsidiary companies of American company are also present Sara Lee Corporation, EDS, a software firm and actress of total information technologies, BioRad, Geoservices, Sterling Re - letting, one of the world leaders of the top-of-the-range, German removal Miele and Japanese woman Konica.

Employment

The city adds up: 11225 employment, distributed to a total value of 74% in the private sector and 26% in the public sector. The sectors of the tertiary sector and the services concentrate 39% of the employee job, follow-ups of industry 19%, of wholesale 13%, transport 12%, building 11% and retail business 7%.

Green areas and environment

The Blanc-Mesnil profits from a strong presence of green areas on its territory, in particular thanks to the Jacques-Duclos park. The commune is particularly active environment sustainable development.

Gardens and green areas

More in detail, the city counts 16 hectares of public gardens and gardens, 14 hectares of solid masses of shrubs and 47 hectares of lawns, like 380 flowers stand, 37 vats of orangery and 22 kilometers of plantation of alignment, is 7.728 trees. 9 sites are equipped with masts of flowered suspensions, that is to say on the whole 204 cubes and 105 cups.

• Created in 1976, the park Jacques-Duclos which extends on a surface from 24 hectares remains the largest communal park of the department of the Seine-Saint-Denis. It includes a landscape basin of 3.900 m ² emphasized by earthmovings forming of the hillocks and small valleys, a vast floral zone (iris, Bambou S, Azalée S, Fougère S and hardy perennials) and an arboricolous biodiversity protected from 16.000 trees (gingko bilobas, cedars of the Atlas, beeches of Persia, liquidambars, ashes whining) pertaining to about fifty different gasolines, originating in Europe, of Asia, of North America and South. For the walker, the spaces diversified with activities of relaxation, the plane ones of plays, undulating or timbered zones and an open-air theater.

• the vines include/understand 1.220 feet planted close to the Pasquier farm to the Jacques-Duclos park. The Clos white-mesnilois is a out-of-date Chardonnay was of oak produced at the Blanc-Mesnil. Approximately 1.000 bottles of 50 Cl are produced each year. The wine was preceded with the contest of the wines of Ile-de-France.

• the vegetable wall of the cultural Forum conceived by the botanist White Patrick.

• the " Place eau" (Place Gabriel-Perished), located near the esplanade of the Hotel-of-city, is arranged in 2006 with a basin of 400 m ² equipped brumisateurs. A planted brook of Birch X, Ash S and of Aulne S which runs out of the town hall in the El Salvador-Allende Place crowns the garden. The landscape course celebrates the memory of water.

• the garden of Montillet .

• the arboretum of the email Jacques Decour .

• the Technical center Green area includes/understands two zones of activity: the first relates to the lines of business on a surface of 732 m ², the second shelters a Orangerie dedicated to the tropical vegetation on 90 m ² with a basin and a cascade of water, accessible to the public.

• the public garden Stalingrad (in the past public garden of the Harmony), Plane tree S and Chestnut tree S.

The city obtained in 1999 three flowers with the Concours of the cities and flowered villages.

For the management of its raised inheritance, it was also rewarded in 1997 by the National Price for the Tree and in 2000 by the Price for Fleurissement d' Automne.

The Blanc-Mesnil received the first price ex-aequo in the category “Management of environment and prevention and reduction of the harmful effects” for its project aiming to better managing the antenna relay installations of and improving information.

The management of water

Five drillings exist in various places of the territory, to which two are added well on a commune in the Val-d'Oise.

The annual production of three million cubic meters meets the needs for distribution completely. In the north of the city, a new pumping station/storage/distribution were carried out. The two tanks contain 2.500 cubic meters of water.

In addition, the common one was selected to receive future the Purification plant water of the east of the Île-de-France area.

Écopôle

Future the écopôle must accommodate a Purification plant and a factory of methanisation. The project should also contain a training center with the trades of the environment, a seedbed of companies and a House of the environment.

Days of the environment

An occasion also to sensitize the public with the problems related on the saving energy, the production of Drinking water, the test of clean vehicles, on the Flora and the avifauna white-mesniloises.

Local inheritance

From its rural history, the Blanc-Mesnil preserves important architectural traces today. At the 20th century, achievements of French architects, in particular Jean Lurçat, and the presence of contemporary sculptures make it possible to give an urban framework between tradition and modernity.

Old architecture

the farm Notre-Dame (Jacques-Duclos City park, site of archaeological excavations) is a whole of buildings of the 18th century built in Plâtre and hardcores. Built on a square level, the farm, one of four more important of the old country, are characteristic of the farms of the Plaine of France. The farm comprises two dwelling houses, a cattle shed, a stable, pigeon and a metal barn. It ceases its agricultural activities in 1972 before being reconverted in recreational center.

the farm of Small-Groslay the (197, avenue Paul-Vaillant-Couturier) is built at the 18th century. Then in the middle of a field of ten hectares, specialized in the dairy production, it became a house of childhood. The buildings open by a large porch carter. A paved long way bordered of grass carries out to an interior court.

the church Our-Lady-with-the Annonciation is built in 1912. The Palm Sunday, a shell of the Large Bertha bad cold the ceiling of the nave and makes seven victims among the faithful ones. The church is increased in 1959.

the church of the Sacred Heart is started in 1929 with the castle of Are worth-the-Pénil of the princess of Faucigny-Lucinge. On the plans of two architects, Paul Lambert and Henry Lheritier de Chezekk, the Church of the Sacred Heart is finished in 1933. She includes/understands a whole of eleven canopies carried out by the Ripeau painter and glass maker with Versailles.

Contemporary architecture

the city 212 (which occurred of 8-May-1945) is a collective unit built by the architect Germain Dorel in 1935 in the district of Aviation offering 497 residences, in buildings in brick and Béton inspired gross by the architecture of Karl Marx Hof built with Vienna in 1927 by the architect Karl Ehn. The buildings are made continuation from the point of view formed by central arches, with a pyramidal distribution of the balconies. The frontages are decorated of Bas-relief S of style Art déco. Since February 21st, 1996, it is registered with the Additional Inventory of the Historic buildings.

The Square Louis Kotas is a group of prefabricated houses called “quoted experimental of the Blanc-Mesnil” built with the Release by the ministry for the Rebuilding and Town planning. These dwellings were intended to the disaster victims families after the Second world war.

Built in 1957, the nursery school Louis Pasteur is a prototype school drawn by the architect Jacques Carlu. The ready-made units come from the workshops Jean Prouvé.

the water Tower (place of the Release), built in 1928, transformed into pavoized modern work of art of clear colors.

the college Mozart , signed in 1991 per the architect and town planner Paul Chemetov, with the complicity of Borja Huidobro.

the Z.A.C Pierre-Sémard (bordering on the station of Blanc-Mesnil), shelters, since 1992, two hundred and twenty-five residences and six workshops of artist to the architecture avant-gardist conceived by Iwona Buczkowska. The use of the wood of Larch as essential construction material, pointed and labyrinthian architecture (of the “drakkars” according to the word of François Maspero), largely inspired by the forms of the Cubism, the multiplicity of the fittings of the apartments oppose standardization multifamily apartments great whole of the Sixties. It is the greatest collective whole out of wood of France.

Andre Lurçat with the wire of the city

The architecture of André Lurçat is present through various works in the middle of the city:

Inaugurated in 1967, the Town hall was conceived pre-war period by the architects André Lurçat and Albert Michaut. Inside, the fresco in mosaic “Birth of the day” of Marc Saint-Saëns flowering ash the driving porch external with the living rooms of the town hall. In an handwritten note, Saint-Saëns describes the composition and the original paperboards of his work: “It will be about a composition of various symbols around a text of Paul Éluard on the birth, writes it, it will be carried out in mosaic of molten glass of Murano, according to the traditional technique of the Byzantine mosaic”. In the room of the receptions, the tapestry “the Wine of the world” decorates the room of the receptions. It is the work of the painter and cartoonist Jean Lurçat, brother of the architect André Lurçat. In the room of the marriages, the Tapisserie “the Night” is signed of the painter and cartoonist, Jean Picart the Soft. The two tapestries are carried out in manufactures of Aubusson.

Sculptures and paintings

The course with peace of Francoise Catalàa celebrates the fiftieth birthday of the Libération Blanc-Mesnil. The initiatory course starts with the foot of the water tower, by a memorial, out of composite materials of volcanic rocks and of Mica, on which the extract of a poem of Pablo Neruda is engraved which is finished by “Nothing not even the victory will not erase the terrible taste of blood… Nothing, neither sea, neither the step, neither sand and time, nor géranium set ablaze on the burial. ” Above, seven empty hollows recall the “riens” of this poem and correspond to the seven vacuums of the windows of the Tower water. At side, the column of the war veterans, with breast height accompanies five yew S blacks. Almost in the center of the place, a monumental arrow of 12,50 meters rises, card-indexed on the ground and the broken pole, symbol of end of war. On its Bronze patinated, a hundred and fifty reasons are incised, symbolizing the diversity of origin of the population white-mesniloise. The course passes then in front of three Ginkgo biloba S, only alive species to have survived the atomic explosion of Hiroshima. The course continues while crossing the doors of the peace, out of white concrete which starts the departure or the entry of the place. On the first, the word peace is engraved in old languages. On the second, it is represented in current languages spoken by the White-Mesnilois with multiple nationalities. On the third, twenty-nine words “peace” imagined by the writer James Joyce are taken again, in his unfinished work Finnegans Wake. The trees of the Mozart college invite to follow the alignment of the Prunier S which prolong the course with peace to the de Gaulle avenue. For the inauguration, work “Myrha” for reciting, six percussion S, groups of children with marble rollers and magnetic band two tracks, on texts of Pablo Neruda, Louis Aragon, James Joyce and Martin Luther King was played under the direction of the type-setter Fernand Vandenbogaerde.

The Enfants of the world of the artist plastics technician Rachid Khimoune take care since 1985 of the foot of the Four Turns in edge of the boulevard Jacques Decour. Conceived like manhole covers moulded in elastomer (synthetic rubber), these characters represent kids of the four corners of the world.

Inaugurated in June 2000, the Fountain of June 18th of Veronica Tellosur, located at the accesses of the avenue of the de Gaulle general vis-a-vis the college, completely takes again the Appel of June 18th launched by colonel de Gaulle in 1940. Work was designed with the assistance of the graphic designer-poster artist Alberto Bali, of the métalliers founders of the Saint-Jacob workshops and companies of fontainery and lighting. As for water and in the light of the fountain, they refer to the crossing of the English Channel in the darkness towards the English enlightened ports.

The sculpture of Andree Honore is a Stèle in Bronze of 3,15 meters which decorates the garden of the memory of the communal cemetery. The sculptrice describes its work thus: “Its forms, tended, vibrating, it is very whole humanity. In fact bodies live, which can die but only upright and which remains full with hope”.

The carries West of Louis Chavignier, sculpture carried out in 1962.

Culture at the Blanc-Mesnil

The cultural life at the Blanc-Mesnil testifies to a will to make available to the public, in all its diversity of age, with the young public as with the seniors, and of nationality, the culture, sometimes of avant-garde, and sensitive to the contemporary social problems. A broad place is also made with musical creation. The cultural Forum is used as point of anchoring like a place of the circulation of culture. Around this central pivot, a whole of cultural devices disseminated in the city.

The cultural Forum

Among the guests in scene, the choreographer Merce Cunningham, the type-setter John Cage, the photographer William Klein, Peter Buck and Bill Rieflin of the group R.E.M., the National circus of China.

The Ateliers of the Forum support the exchanges between personalities of the culture and the White-mesnilois. Among the guests, the sociologist Edgar Morin, the writer Emmanuel Todd, the philosopher Bernard Stiegler, the draftsman of press and leader-writer Plantu, Marie-Claude Char, the woman of the writer Rene Tank. Various artists and companies already were in residence: the writer Lydie Salvayre, the Red-headed artist plastics technician Georges, Ogres of Barback, the photographer Elsa Mazeau, the choreographer Sophie Desprairies.

To also discover the Teas philosophy and the Conferences Discovered of the world (preceded by projection the documentary ones) and the Apartment which makes it possible any White-Mesnilois to invite to residence a company of theater for a representation into private.

The Forum also accommodates the international choreographic Rencontres of Seine-Saint-Denis, the festival of dance Temps Dance Automne, the Biennale of contemporary art of Seine-Saint-Denis, the jazz festival Banlieue Bleues, the festival of the cities of the music of the Zebrock world. The Forum, officially agreed scene since November 22nd, 2000, are financed jointly by the city of the Blanc-Mesnil, the General advice of the Seine-Saint-Denis, the Île-de-France area, the DRAC Île-de-France and the Ministère of the Culture and the Communication.

Contemporary art gallery

Choice of collective and individual exposures suggested since its creation:

• a point it is all (January 2006 - May 2006). With works of the French photographers Philippe Ramette and Sophie Ristelhueber, of the artist Patrick Tosani.

• Black, lights (April 2005 - June 2005). With photographs of of the Ivory Coast Ananias Léki Dago.
• Common images (October 2004 - December 2004). With works of the vidéaste Valerie Mréjen and the Canadian artist Shelagh Keeley.
• Simulis , work of artists on new technologies of information (March 2002 - May 2002). With works of the Spanish photographer Joan Fontcuberta and of the Irish plastics technician Malachi Farrel.
• the portrait (March 1998 - April 1998). With works of the South Korean artist Nam June Paik, of the Iraqi painter Abraham Hadad American, plastics technicians Hugh Weiss and Andrés Serrano, of the Argentinian painter Antonio Segui, of the Italian painter Leonardo Cremonini and of French Christian Zeimert.

Edouard Glissant media library

Cultural centres of proximity

The Two Parts Cooks (“2PC”) includes/understands studios of recording and repetition and program often of the showcases of groups under development. It accommodated artists and musical formations of the French song through various styles, the Rock, the Rap, the Reggae, the Funk, the Electronic music: innocent No one is, Nosfell, Charlotte etc, Wax Tailor, Tarace Boulba, Casey.

The Conservatory with departmental radiation Erik Satie sign disciplines of music and dance, in particular the Chamber music, the Jazz, the modern Music and the Music electroacoustic. Each Wednesday evening, it organizes concerts of pupils to the cultural Forum. In the commune, three centers decentralized: the Center Maurice Audin , the Center Paul Éluard , as well as the Center Paul Langevin . Type-setters and interpreters considered there made their class.

The Wednesdays of Sciences Po (2007-2010): the municipality of the Blanc-Mesnil joined the doctoral School of Sciences Po Paris to organize there a cycle of quarterly conferences around the democracy and justice.

Media

The commune has media specifically written white-mesnilois, the municipal magazine of information the Monthly magazine , created on May 1st, 1998, completely accessible on CD-ROM to BNF, like its institutional gate Internet: www.leblancmesnil.fr. The monthly magazine That moves , conceived by young people, is intended with a certain freedom of ton for youth white-mesniloise.

In addition, the municipality developed many sites related to the economic activity for the Square of the Aviators (carredesaviateurs.com), cultural for the Forum cultural (www.forumculturel.asso.fr/) and its blog complementary, the Two Parts Cooks (www.deuxpiecescuisine.net/) and its myspace, informative on line at the House of the limes (vudici.maisondestilleuls.org/), and participative for the local Council of the young people (www.cljblancmesnil.com/).

The Blanc-Mesnil adhered to the SIPPEREC, Intercommunity association of the periphery of Paris for electricity and the communication networks, in order to proceed to the study of the installation of the cable on the commune in the next years.

The municipal files are available to the town hall on go.

Education, youth and early childhood

Schools

The city of the Blanc-Mesnil concerns the academy of Creteil. An office of the General inspection of State education (12th elementary district) and a Information center and orientation (50, avenue de la Division Leclerc) are also present. The Blanc-Mesnil counts eighteen nursery schools and fifteen elementary schools. These schools are managed by the General inspection of the departmental inspection of State education. In secondary education, one counts four Collège S and three public Lycée S.

The general-purpose college regional Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart records the following rates of admission to the baccalaureat:

• In 2007, by series:

• Of 2001 to 2007, all confused series,

Early childhood

Summer camps

The Blanc-Mesnil manages two centers of summer camps: one located at Condamine-Châtelard (Alp-of-High-Provence) for the older children from 8 to 11 years, the other with the Bar-of-Mounts in the Vendée, for the older children from 6 to 13 years. In these two centers are organized “classes of snow” and “classes of sea” by the schools of the commune.

Also, the Camp of the Moon with Saint-Martin-the-Méanne in Corrèze, for the older children from 8 to 11 years, as well as a center for the children from 4 to 6 years with Nanteuil-le-Haudouin in the Oise.

Sport and Health

Sporting installations

The common offer a broad pallet of sports activities. With fifty-eight associations and sporting clubs, it allows the White-Mesnilois a practice diversified sports which go from the leisure up to the high level and for all the ages, of the children at the third age. Sports equipment is distributed on the communal territory.

• the Stade Jean Bouin presents diversified sports equipment: an enlightened ground turfed for the competitions of football with the track of athletics Haile Gebrselassie inaugurated on August 28th, 2003, a covered platform of a capacity of 1.000 places, two grounds synthetic and stabilized enlightened for the Football, a ground turfed and lit for the Rugby with platform and hearth (House of Rugby), a general sports gymnasium with platform, a room of musculation, three zones of plays reserved for the Game of bowls and the Lyons ball, two grounds of Sandball and a Skatepark.

• the Sports complex Paul Eluard includes/understands two grounds turfed and enlightened for football and Rugby, a general sports gymnasium, a wall of climbing, the courts of tennis Arthur Ashe, four roofed-in areas and six in outside, as well as an club-house.

• the Stade Boghossian includes/understands a room specialized in haltérophilie/musculation, a football field and twelve grounds of Lyons balls.

• the Gymnasium Jean-Macé , room of gymnastics and room general sports.

• the Gymnasium Jacques Decour , room of gymnastics and room general sports.

• the Gymnasium Eugenie Knitting machine , a general sports gymnasium with an external plate of evolution.

• the Gymnasium Paul Langevin , Tatami S and room of musculation.

• the Plate Mozart , a track of 200 meters and a plate omnisport.

• the Walloon Henri Swimming pool , a basin of 25 meters out of 10 meters with a external Solarium.

• the sporting course of the pointed Part .

Sports

The city of the Blanc-Mesnil proposes traditional collective sports (Football, Rugby, Handball, Hockey, Basket-ball) and individual (Tennis, Gymnastique, Natation, Athlétisme, Haltérophilie, Karaté, Judo), martial arts (Aïkido, Lutte sambo). It also develops less known sports activities of the general public, such as the Street-hockey, Sandball and the ken ryu (practical of the Chambara, Kendo and Iaido). The BMS, Blanc-Mesnil Sports, is the principal club of the city.

Sporting distinctions

Football : the female team of football of the Blanc-Mesnil SF evolves/moves in the second division (hen B). The BMS football reached in 2007 16th of finale of the Coupe Gambardella. The club formed of the footballers who integrated the training centres of clubs of league 1.

Hockey : the BMS Field hockey evolves/moves in main road 3. The team of hockey in room plays in main road 2.

Handball : the female team of the BMS handball is distinguished in main road 3.

Judo : the BMS Judo and the sporting Star of the Blanc-Mesnil judo (ESBM) formed and form Judoka S of national level. Kahina Daoud gained a bronze medal with the championship of France 2006. The male team of judo evolves/moves in the first division.

Tennis : the BMS Tennis evolves/moves in main road 1B and trains players of levels national and regional.

Fight sambo : the BMS Sambo formed of the fighters of world famous.

Gymnastic : the club of gymnastics in the past formed of the gymnastes of national stature which shone in the championships FSGT.

Marathon : two athletes white-mesnilois took part in the edition 2008 of the Marathon of Sands.

Health

Beyond the municipal network of health, the Blanc-Mesnil counts thirty-one general doctors, twenty-seven specialist physicians (gynecology-obstrétrique, otorhinolaryngology, cardiology, radiology, ophthalmology), and ten male nurses and nurses. Sixteen pharmacies and two medical analysis laboratories are at the disposal of the inhabitants. Moreover, a hospital deprived in downtown area and the medical private clinic Gallieni.

Co-operation with the international one

Twinnings

Co-development

In the context of dryness, famine and war in Africa in the Eighties, the Blanc-Mesnil reacts to its way while signing in 1991 a twinning of decentralized co-operation with Debre Berhan in Ethiopia and in another measurement with the town of Beni Douala in Algérie in the wilaya of Tizi-Ouzou.

Within the framework of twinning with the municipality of Debre-Berhan in Ethiopia, the Blanc-Mesnil signed a convention relating on the Gestion of waste and to the provisioning of the city of Drinking water. Concretely, the programme of drinkable water provision of the city allowed the installation of pumps drillings, the creation of terminals fountain, the rehabilitation of the station of treatment and a Tower water of a capacity of two hundred and thirty cubic meters.

The achievements carried out by the two cities opened the door with new financial contributors. As from the year 2000, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs becomes an important contributor of various programs, in partnership with the Blanc-Mesnil. In 2001, the French Agence of development (AFD) deals with the levelling of the whole of the device of drinkable water provision of Debre-Berhan. The program, of total costs of 6,5 million euros, in which, at the sides of the AFD, principal backer, the Regional state of Amhara, the cities of the Blanc-Mesnil and Debre-Berhan are partners, is intended to solve the requirements out of water for the urban center, at the horizon of the next decades and of its demographic expansion until more than 100.000 inhabitants. It includes/understands the realization of new drillings, the installation of pumps and tanks, the extension of the networks the main thing and secondary, the formation with management and maintenance and part of the Assainissement.

Humanitarian

On several occasions, the Municipal council unanimously marked his solidarity with people victims of natural disasters abroad by resolving funds bound for organizations working on the ground.

Curiosities white-mesniloises

• Ernst Thälmann, German politician, was declared in 1936 citizen of honor of the Blanc-Mesnil.

• the name of the Blanc-Mesnil east since November 1999 attached to that of a rehabilitated street of the downtown area of Debre-Berhan, twinned Ethiopian city.

Blanc-Mesnil in literature

• Jean Lebeuf, scholar and historian French, devotes a chapter to Notre-Dame de Blancmesnil and the lords of Blancmesnil in his test Histoire of the diocese of Paris (1755).

• Hector Malot quotes in its novel Pompon (1881) the landscape white-mesnilois: “High at the culminating point of the hill, it dominated the forest of Bondy, and from the many windows of its frontage punt, the sight extended freely on this forest and the immense plains of Blanc-Mesnil”.

• During the war free-Prussian of 1870, the Blanc-Mesnil is the seat of violent one engagements in the north of the commune. In north, the general Vinoy evokes the “batteries of a strong gauge and a great range” in the armistice and the commune (1872). In the south, the general Ducrot evokes a “battalion of franc-tireurs (which) will gain the road of the Small-Bridges while being prolonged towards the left and will go on the farm of Groslay” in the defense of Paris (1870-1871) . In good people (1901), Paul Margueritte and Victor Margueritte quotes the “cannonade of the batteries of Bridge-Iblon and the Blanc-Mesnil” and “the attack in three columns of pomegranates, riflemen and uhlans of the Prussian Guard”.

• L-D Bessières writes the following poem in the instantaneous ones, sketch and impressions of voyage of a métromane (1904):

“the Blanc-Mesnil is scattered

In a plain of culture.

Here, neither tram, nor car.

It is necessary to do lot of mileage with foot.

Sausset, a limpid brook

Sprinkles the corner of a hamlet,

Digging through the plate,

a narrow and timid furrow.

Of the grinding stones shows in this

place buildings the shortage:

It is only in one sheep-fold

That here one could place God! ”

• François Maspéro rapidly evokes the city in the chapter on the Petite Crown in its log book the Passengers of the Roissy-Express train (1990), his “Jean-Bouin stage”, its “Daquin cinema”.

• the writer Isabelle Rèbre published the play Me, somebody (Actes Sud editions) represented for the first time at the Forum on March 13rd, 1998.

Rap in Blanc-Mesnil

In the pidgin of the rappeurs, the city of the Blanc-Mesnil is called “Blankok”, “Blankok City”, “93 Blankok”. Sometimes, the place of residence is stuck there: “Blankok-Limes”, “Blankok-North”, “Blankok-Zoo”.

Raspy the Casey declines in the title of a song the zip code of the commune under the figure “9.3.1.5 .0”. Casey and B. James speak about their city in his terms: “Blanc-Mesnil/it is my city/my HQ/my peninsula/my citadel/which makes speak about it”. Groups of rap describe their impression of galère, good or bad, to live in a city at the Blanc-Mesnil. Boozoo, Alpha 5.20 in their song “Blankok”. Ghetto Fabulous Gang in “93 blankok: in the street”, like P.Y.A.Z, Skanner, feat. Boozoo and SMA, Dream TEAM of Bangkok.

Personalities related to the Blanc-Mesnil

History

• the family Potter of Blancmesnil and the Delley of the Guard lived there in their castle.
• Chrétien Guillaume de Lamoignon de Malesherbes remained there lengthily and took refuge there under the Revolution, in order to prepare the escape of Louis XVI.
• Claude Louis Berthollet, chemist French and gentilé aulnaysien, frequently went there.
• the general Moltke made there a halt during the war free-Prussian.

Policy

• Jacques Marinelli, politician and sportsman French, was born at the Blanc-Mesnil.
• Isabelle Thomas, French political woman.

• Alain Ramos, French politician, were born at the Blanc-Mesnil

Literature and press

• Elisabeth Vonarburg, écrivaine Québécois of science fiction, lived there in its childhood.
• Marc Kravetz, international reporter and French journalist (Price Albert London 1980), grew there.
• Olivier Bridge, draftsman and scenario writer of cartoons, was born there.

Dance

• the dancer and French choreographer Sylvie Guillem lived there.

Music

• Patrick Hernandez, singer of varieties, author of world success “Born to Be alive”, and Sick Large body, slamor, were born in the city. Casey, Sheryo, and Bunzen, Rappeur S, the group rap Eskicit and the collective Anfalsh, partly, lives there or lived there. The soloist Diego Tosi was born there.

Sport

• Gary Lugassy, tennis player, and Tristan Valentine, racing cyclist, Foamed Sissoko, Jean-Felix Dorothée, Ludovic Sylvestre and Morgaro Gomis, Jérémy Abadie, footballers, as well as the trainer and former football player, Denis Troch, was born at the Blanc-Mesnil.

Worships

• Church Notre-Dame

• Church Saint-Charles
• Church Holy-Therese de Montillet
• Protestant and evangelic Church
• orthodoxe Church of the Sacred Heart

The Blanc-Mesnil is attached to the diocese of Saint-Denis and also has of a communal cemetery and a monument dedicated to the combatants of the Great War, a military square dedicated to the soldiers fallen at the time of the Second world war and resistant. It also shelters enfeus and a colombarium intended for the deposit of the funeral urns.

• Synagog

• Center of Muslim cult “El Ihsan”

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